Convertible utility level



Jan. 10, 1928. Y 1,655,627

(1. o. ROTHWEILER CONVERTIBLE UTILITY LEVEL Filed Dec. 17, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l v 45 WITNESSES A TTORNE Y.

Jan. 10, 192s.- 1,655,627

' c. o. 'ROTHWEJLER CONVERTIBLE UTILITY LEVEL Filed Dec. 17, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

K A TTORNE Y.

Patented Jan. 10, 1928..

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GHABLESO. ROTHWEILER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO DAVIIO WHITE COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

CONVERTIBLE UTILITY LEVEL.

Application filed December 17, 1924. Serial No. 756,517.

a vertical plane in the manner of a transit for the purpose of running a line of stakes, determining the perpendicularity of structural members, and other operations, but diiiiculty has been experienced in bringing the telescope back to a horizontal positionwhen conditions require it, since it has been customary to rely on the registration of index marlrs, which is not particularly accurate and cannot be rapidly efi'ected. Also,

the telescope pivots commonly extend on opposite sides of the telescope barrel where they are journalled in standards, which construction is not suitable for use in an inexpensive instrument required to be of rugged character.

An object of the present invention is to provide a convertible level in which the pivoted telescope may be rapidly and accurately brought to and maintained in a level condition after having been used in an inclined position.

Another object of the invention is to obtain such placement of the telescope by a movable locking member mounted on a standard at a distance from the pivotal axis of the telescope and engageable directly with the telescope. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a rugged and inexpensive pivot construction for the telescope which will facilitate and maintain accurate alignment of the parts and avoid undesired play between them.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pivot construction which will prevent the entrance of foreign matter between the bearing surfaces and thus avoid misalignment and rapid wear.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple and effective means for adjusting the telescope so that its sighting axis will lie in a plane through the vertical axis of the level. e p

A further object of the invention is to revitie spring-raged means for maintaining The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying the nvention f Fig. 2 isa plan view thereof, parts being Broken away and partsbeing shown in sec ion;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 4 is a front end view of the telescope and its standards; I V

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;; i

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the telescope with its mounting members; and

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a locking member.

In these drawings 10 indicates a lower leveling plate on which are mounted in the usual manner the legs 11 and an upper leveling plate 12, leveling screws 13 being pro vided to obtain a level condition of the upper plate when the instrument is in use. A circular spider plate 1a is adapted to rotate within a circular recess 15 in the annular portion 16 of the upper leveling plate 12 andis provided with three substantially equally spaced pads 17 on its under bearing surface engageable with the bottom 18 of the recess. The usual clamping screw 19 is threaded radially into the annular rim 16 and is adaptedv to engage the periphery of the spider plate 14 to lock it in position against rotation. The leveling plate 12 is provided with the usual graduated circle 20 extending around the spider plate let, and an index arm 21 pivotallymounted on-a cen-- tral boss 22 of the spider plate 14 extends radially outward therefrom to a' position adjacent the edge of the circle, the index arm being frictionally retained in an adjusted position in the usual manner.

The boss 22 on the circular spider plate 14 carries an upwardly extending threaded pro- 1' ection 23 on which a forked standard ll1l11 her 24 is screwed for attachment to the spider plate. the fork projectitius 25 and .26

of the standard n ember extending upwardly to form standards receiving the telescope 27 between them.

The telescope barrel 27 has its central porlion clamped in a mounting member 28 which also carries a bubble tube 29 above the telescope. The mounting member 28 is pretcrably a casting COlrlPllSlllg a circular hearing plate 30 having spaced projections 31 ez-ztending at right angles thereto and provided with aligned openings 32 and 33 to receive the telescope and bubble tube, respectively. The bearing plate 30 is provided with a central bore 3% and three substantially equally spaced segmental bearing pads 35 near its periphery. A slot 36 extends transversely of one oi? the projections 31 and terminates at the opening 32 receiving the telescope, so that a limited amount of spring action is obtained to permit a screw 37 to clamp the split parts of this projection 31 on the telescope. At the point where the telescope passes through the other projection 31, adjusting and clamping screws 3 are provided to center the telescope in order that the axis of the bore 34: in the bearing plate will intercept the telescope sighting axis, to which it is normal. Thebubble tube 29 is provided with a similar adjustment at one end in order to secure parallelism with the telescope.

The bearing pads 35 are disposed in a vertical plane parallel to a vertical axial plane through the telescope and are adapted to engage an annular plane bearing surface l0 on the standard 25. Vfhile plane bearing surfaces are preferred for facility in manufacture, conical or spherical surfaces may also be used. A pivot member 41 is secured by screw 42 in a bore 43 in the standard, and has its reduced inner end 44 disposed in the bore 34 of the bearing plate 30. the outer end or": the pivot member being provided with an annular groove 45 to facilitate its removal from the bore 43.

The standard 26 is provided with a recess l6 coaxial with the bore 43 in the standard 25, and a coil spring 47 disposed in the recess presses on the telescope barrel by means of an interposed saddle 48 to urge the beari ng pads 35 into engagement with the annular bearing surface 4.0 on the standard 25.

In order place the sighting axis of the telescope in a plane passing through the ver tical axis of the level for initial adjustmentv Screws 53 are threaded in the standard 26 on each side of the screw and bear against the standard 25 to move itoutwardly or to limit its inward movement, so that by a mutual adjustment of the screws 50 and 53, the standard 25 may be adjusted and locked in its proper position.

The circ lar spider plate which supports the ndard member has its spaced Waring pads 1'? held into engagement with ti o bottom or the recess 18 by axially acting spring pressure. For this purpose a screw 5st extending upwardly through an opening 55 in the upper leveling plate 12 enters athreaded opening 56 in the hub of the spider p ate, and a counterbore 57 in the leveling plate 12 forms an annular shoulder with the bore the counterbore 57 housing a, spring 58 which is interposed between this shoulder and the head of the screw to hold the bearing surfaces of the spider plate and leveling plate together under pressure.

The standard is provided with a pair of spaced horizontally extending projections 59 having transversely extending terminal portions (30 between which an l shaped loci:-

lever 61 is pivotally mounted by means of a screw 62, the projections 59 having a slight spring action for frictionally retaining the locking lever between them in its operative positions. The inner end 63 of the lockin lever is suitably curved, as seen in Fig. 7, and is disposed adjacent the telescope barrel to engage between fingers 64 of a split collar 65 clamped about the telescope barrel by means of a screw 66.

For leveling operations the telescope is firmly held in horizontal position by the on gagement ot' the locking lever 61 with the collar 65. lVhcn it is desired to tilt the telescope the locking lever is moved to the dotted line position of 2, whereupon the telescope will be free. -for adjustment in. avertical plane, it being held in adjusted angular position the frictional. engagement between the bearing pads of the bearing plate 30 and the annular bearing surface 4:0 on the standard ln order to again bring the telescope back to a horizontal position it is only necessary to swing it to an approximately horizontal position when the locking lever 61 may be wedged in the channel formed by the fingers (i l on the collar 65, thus restoring the level condition of the telescope and maintaining the telescope rigidly in place This manipulation maybe rapidly ell'ected and accuracy assured because the locking lever operates directly on the telescope and at a substantial distance from the pivot axis of the telescope.

It will be noted that the telescope is pivotally supported on one side only, which makes it possible to obtain alignment of the parts in a very simple manner and facilitates machining operations. The bearing llll Jul!

plate 30 being of comparatively large diam eter insures long wear and prevents lateral tilting of the telescope, while the bearing member 41 serves to properly center the bearing plate and define an axis of rotation.

and to prevent foreign matter from causing a misalignment of the telescope, since the shoulders formed at their ends will clean the bearing surface with which they cooperate. The same effect is obtained with the three spaced bearing pads 17 on the circular spider plate 14. When the telescope is moved slightly out of line, by reason of the wear occurring between the bearing pads 35 and the bearing surface 4:0 after long periods of use, it may be readily adjusted by the manipulation of the screws 50 and 53. V

The invention provides a leveling instrument of simple and rugged construction, and one which may be inexpensively mannfactured with a substantial degree of accuracy.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a leveling instrument, the combination of a standard member, a telescope pivotally mounted thereon to swing in a vertical plane, a collar secured to said telescope at a distance from its pivotal axis, and a locking member mounted on said standard member and including a horizontally movable portion adapted to firmly engage said collar to obtain and maintain a horizontal disposition of said telescope.

2. In a leveling instrument, the combination of a standard member, a telescope pivotally mounted thereon to swing in a vertiral plane, a collar secured about said telescope at a distance from its pivotal axis and having a laterally opening channel extending longitudinally of the telescope, and a locking lever pivotally mounted on said standard member to swing in a horizontal plane and having a wedge-shaped inner end adapted to engage the walls of said channel to obtain and maintain a horizontal disposi tion of said telescope.

3. In a leveling instrument, the combination of a standard member, a telescope, a bearing plate secured intermediate the ends of said telescope and disposed at one side thereof, said bearing plate and standard member having co-operating bearing surfaces to permit tilting of said telescope, one of said bearing surfaces comprising three spaced bearing pads to form a three-point bearing, a centrally disposed pivot member interengageable between said bearing plate and standard member for defining the axis of rotation of said bearing plate when tilting said telescope, said bearing pads being disposed about said axis, and a spring urg- .ing said: bearing plate axially into engagement withsaid standard member.

4. In a leveling instrument, the combination of a forked standard member, a telescope disposed between the standardsformed by the forks of said member, a bearing plate secured intermediate the ends of said telescope and disposed at one side thereof, said bearing plate and the adjacent standard having co-operating circularly spaced and annularbearing surfaces, respectively, and

.said bearing plate having a central. bore normal to the telescope, a pivot member secured in said. standard and entering said bore to define the axis of rotation of said bearing plate when tilting the telescope, and a spring mounted on the other standard and acting on the telescope for urging said hearing plate axiallv into engagement with said first-named standard.

5. In a leveling instrument, the combination of a forked standard member rotatable about a vertical axis, a telescope disposed between the standards formed by the forks of said member, means for supporting the telescope on one of said standards and permitting its tilting movement thereon, means for preventing lateral movement of the telescope with respect to said standard, and means engaging the other standard for laterally adjusting said telescope-supporting standard to place the sighting axis of the telescope in a plane extending through the vertical axis of said standard member.

6. In a leveling instrument, the combination of a forked standard member rotatable on a vertical axis, a telescope disposed between the standards formed by the forks of said member, means for supporting the telescope on one of said standards and permit ting its tiltingmovement thereon, means for preventing lateral movement of the telescope with respect to said standard, threaded adjusting members connecting said standards, said telescope-supporting standard being of reduced cross-section near its base to permit its yielding in a plane normal to the telescope, whereby said telescope may be placed 7 with its sighting axis in a plane passing through the vertical axis of said standard member by moving said telescope-supporting standard by said threaded adjusting members.

7. In a leveling instrument, the combination with a standard member and a telescope supported thereby, of a relatively stationary leveling plate having a circular recess in its upper end, a circular plate secured to said standard member and disposed to rotate about a vertical axis within said recess, said plate having spaced lower bearing surfacesdisposed about said axis and adapted to co-operate with a bearing surface formed at the bottom of said recess, and spring means disposed along the axis of said rotatable plate to retain in engagement the bearing surfaces on said rotatable plate and leveling plate.

8. In a leveling instrument the combination or a forked standard member rotatable about a vertical axis, a telescope pivotally supported for vertical tilting on one of the standards 'l OI'IDOIl by the forks of said standard member, means for preventing lateral movement of the telescope with respect to said standard, and means er aging the other standard and extending between the standards 'i'or laterally adjusting the tele scope-suppmrting standard to place the telescope with its sighting axis in a plane extending throughthe vertical axis of said standard ineinber.

9. In a leveling instrument, the combination of a standard member, a telescope pivotally mounted thereon to swing in a, vertical plane, there being abutments on said tele- I a locking member movably mounted on said standard member at a location spaced laterally from the pivotalaaxis of said telescope and adapted to engage said telescope abut- Inents for locking said telescope in a true horizontal position, whereby the leveled telescope will be directly supported at two CHARLES o. ROTHWEILER. 

